Saturday, January 24, 2015

Gluten Free

Hello friends,

As I was cleaning out and organizing my kitchen cabinets the other day, I took stock of the various specialty flours I've purchased over time and never used. I decided they must be used soon. This will not only free up more kitchen cabinet space but also allow me to test how they affect my blood glucose levels. Right now I have: millet flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, maize flour, dark rye flour, coconut flour and some kind of gluten free all purpose flour made by Red Mills.

I decided to try the All Purpose Baking Flour first as I need a bit of bread. This flour contains a blend of gluten free flours from potatoes, sorghum, tapioca, garbanzo and fava beans and is designed for those sensitive to wheat and gluten. This mix can be used for homemade cakes, cookies, breads, muffins, pancakes and waffles.




After mixing the flour was quite lumpy.  The directions said to flatten or smooth out the top with a wet spatula. I did do that.  I see that the bread dough did not bake and smooth out but that is fine by me. The shininess comes from the butter I spread on after baking.


It came to a nice golden colour all around except in the very center of the loaf. The instructions are to bake the loaf for an hour but after ten minutes you put a layer of tin foil over top to prevent it from getting too brown. As you can see the edges of the loaf are much darker because I didn't tightly close the foil over the edges.


The profile of the bread makes the loaf look flat. It isn't quite flat but neither is it nice and round like most loaves made with wheat flour. I am sure that is because this is a gluten free loaf. Read the role of gluten in bread here.



Taste test: After baking the bread which I found to be light and moist, I gave it a taste test.  While it wasn't my absolute favourite, there really was nothing wrong with it. I usually prefer a heavier texture than these slices of  bread but overall I think this bread will serve nicely when toasted or butter with bread (and/or jam.

The bread recipe was taken from the package on the flour.


 I read several online reviews of people who also used the flour. It seems that people either love it or hate it. If you don't mind the taste and you have gluten sensitivities this flour would be a good all purpose flour for you to try. I found it didn't have a huge spike on my blood glucose levels after I ate some.  I may try it again for making cookies or cakes in future.  For now, I will use up the flours I already have.

7 comments:

Mereknits said...

I think it looks pretty yummy.
Hugs,
Meredith

Chris said...

Mmmm that looks pretty tasty to me! I love to put some butter with a bit of cheese on it for lunch . Fresh bread is the best!!

affectioknit said...

It looks really good!

~Have a lovely day!

John's Island said...

Hi Joyful, What an interesting baking project. Sounds like, on a scale 1 - 10, you would give it about an 8. That sounds pretty good to me. Bet you are right about not smoothing out due to no gluten. This project reminds me of a few I have tried with some "quick" bread mixes to be found at my grocery. I have not found one yet that really turns out to be a 10. But a couple have gotten into the same zone as your project. I agree with Chris (comment above) that a little butter on warm fresh bread is hard to beat! Thanks, as always for sharing. John

Ceil said...

Hi Joyful! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and your pictures are making me HUNGRY! I'm sure it had a different taste, and I'm glad you liked at least a little. All that work to find out you don't like it would be really sad.
You are quite the baker! I bet your house smelled wonderful. Nothing like the smell of baking bread :)
Blessings,
Ceil

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

It looks great. Surprising for Gluten Free.

GreenComotion said...

Hi Penny,
I have baked with Quinoa flower from Bob's.
Very delicious bread!
However, I have not tried this kind before.
In my own trials, I have found that a slice of rice bread, or black rice bread, or Hemp Flour bread, produces the least sugar spiking.
And, I also eat my bread with some nut butter or some fat (butter or raw nuts).
Have a Beautiful Day!
Peace :)

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